The election is finally over and I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to do with my time.

No more running to answer the phone, only to find a recorded message from a politician or organization telling me how to vote.

I no longer have to consider requesting a third weekly trash pickup in order to get rid of the flyers we've been receiving over the last three months.

In Washington, changes are on the horizon.

The Democrats are taking over the House and with a little luck, they'll be in charge of the Senate by the end of the day -- not a particularly popular opinion in a Republican state, I imagine.

With the resignation of Donald Rumsfeld, President Bush has nominated Robert Gates as the replacement for Secretary of Defense. The president is hoping that Gates will bring a new perspective to the War in Iraq.

Here's a new perspective to consider -- Bring our American troops home. We have proof positive that if the Iraqis want to continue killing one another, whether American troops are there to try to stop them or not, they're going to continue killing each other.

It appears that changes are on the horizon. I'm no political analyst and have no idea what those changes may be -- good or bad -- but I'm pretty sure even the evil Democrats aren't capable of doing everything wrong.

Deer season will be opening this weekend. Brad and Jeremy are in the process of preparing for the hunt. I have seven guns sitting in my living room -- three shotguns, three rifles and a .22 -- just in case we see a coyote.

My entire house is spotted with hunter orange. Long johns have been dug out of the dresser drawers. The right kind of ammo has been discussed, purchased, and is now laying on the coffee table, ready to be loaded into the appropriate gun.

Brad plans to do a little pheasant hunting while we're out looking for deer. Which means the pickup will be filled with everything cluttering my living room. We'll barely have room to get ourselves into the truck, let alone the snacks they have plans to take.

Brad doesn't understand my inability to switch from looking for three pound birds to 200 pound deer.

While I get to enjoy the thrill of the hunt, my real excitement won't start until we bring the animals home. That's when I get to start dressing, quartering and deboning our take.

It's funny how quickly the guys can come up with an excuse to leave the house -- excuses such as work and school -- when it comes time for the dirty work to start.

This year, the deer may just have to hang until next weekend. Then they can enjoy the really fun part of hunting